No Matter What
by TheLadyRedHeart
Summary: As Teruhashi gets closer and closer to revealing her feelings for Saiki, he realizes he has to scare her off once and for all. Can her love persist through his plan?


Today was the day. Today was finally the day Kokomi Teruhashi would tell Saiki how she felt. Yeah, she had told herself that every day for the past week, but this time she meant it!

She wanted to make it special for him, as he had the honor of being his first crush and eventually her first boyfriend, but she hadn't quite decided how to go about doing it yet. She wanted to tell him face-to-face, mostly to show that she really did care, instead of over email. While the thought terrified Teruhashi, she knew that's what she had to do. Next was what she would say and where she would say it. She didn't want to do it at school, as it wasn't romantic, and there wasn't likely to be a chance for them to be alone. She finally decided to tell him at the park, under the cherry blossoms, where she would empty her heart, and confess to him. It would be perfect!

She smiled, her plan complete. Now, she just had to invite him after school.

Meanwhile, as usual, unbeknownst to her, Saiki was listening in to this entire plan she had brewed. He didn't like it. She was becoming more and more forward, and was actually getting closer to revealing her feelings. He already had to foil her attempts twice that week. If she really was going ask him today, he had to stop this, and scare her away. For good. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

_Sorry, Teruhashi, but I'm making a change to your plan._ Saiki thought, smiling at his own plan.

After school, having shooed away the other students, Teruhashi walked up to Saiki, who actually seemed to be waiting for her at the gate.

Trying not to look excited, she walked up, and opened her mouth, about to ask him to go to the park, but he held up a hand, stopping her. She frowned, confused. He pointed to her, then himself, then down the street. It took Teruhashi a moment to understand.

"You want me to walk home with you?" she asked. He nodded, and her heart leapt in her chest. He didn't usually seem to want anything to do with her, and often seemed to try to ignore her, but some care for her showed through every once in a while, like when he carried her to the nurse when she passed out. But he didn't usually go out of his way like this. She couldn't help but grin.

As they walked, she looked at his hand. The want to hold it suddenly flashed through her mind, and she blushed slightly. She wanted to lean against him as she held it, to feel him. She shook her head. All in due time. She looked at Saiki again, silent as usual. Teruhashi suddenly realized she couldn't remember a single time he'd spoken aloud, but yet she felt like she had heard him talk.

"Why don't you ever talk?" she asked, trying to break the silence, and she saw a flash of emotion on his usually stoic face. But it was quickly gone, and he didn't answer, unsurprisingly. Then, without thinking, she spoke again.

"Do you like me?" she asked, and mentally slapped herself for asking such a question, and looked to see a brief look of surprise of Saiki's face.

"W-well, I mean, you like Nendou and Kaido, right?" she said, trying to divert away from the question. To her surprise, he shook his head no.

"Y-you don't? But, you hang out with them all the-" she started, but cut herself off as she realized. "You...just...get roped into things, don't you?" she asked. After a moment, he nodded. She looked down at her feet.

"Is there anyone you do like?" she asked, slightly afraid of the answer. He stopped for a moment, before raising his hand and shaking it in a "sort of" getsure. Unsure what he meant, she was about to ask, when he held up his hand again, and she noticed they had reached his house. She mentally cursed herself, as she had gotten wrapped up somehow in their small conversation, and she had missed the park! She then realized she had to do it here, or she never would. She opened her mouth, but he raised his hand yet again, before waving his hand towards the house.

"You...want me to come in?" she asked, and he nodded. Her heart jumped a little more. "Are...your parents home?" she asked, and he hesitantly shook his head. This made her heart leap up to her throat, and she swooned slightly. She and Saiki, alone in his house. She followed Saiki into his house. As he noticed him heading up to his room, still waving his hand, she screamed internally with happiness. They were going to his room! Was he-? Did he want to-? No. Teruhashi shook that thought away. He wasn't that kind of person, she knew that. But she still blushed as she followed him up the stairs. They went inside, Saiki shut the door behind her, and gestured to the bed, where she sat down. He sat down in a chair, the back facing her, but with him also facing her. He raised a hand to his face, and leaned on it, staring at her, like he was debating what he wanted to say next.

After sitting in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, as Teruhashi was about to say something, anything, to break the silence, she heard a voice.

_Teruhashi, there's something I need to tell you. _The voice said. It was smooth, and beautiful to her ears. She had never heard it before, but she somehow knew it was Saiki's though it was if it had come from directly inside her head, and she noticed he hadn't really opened his mouth. Before she could really process this, he "spoke" again.

_Listen I know you have a crush on me._

At these words, Teruhashi froze as all the color drained from her face, and all thoughts about where his voice had come from flew away. She tried to come up with something to say, or to try to make an excuse, as always, but she couldn't think of what to say, since he had directly said it to her. Finally, a simple question came from her lips.

"And?"

_And I have something you need to know right now. I have- _he started, but she cut him off with another question.

"How did you know?" she asked. She knew she had made some slip-ups, but he never seemed to show any indication that he knew, so she wanted to know what made him aware. She also wanted to know why, if he has known, why is he only just now saying something? Wouldn't he have been absolutely elated and wanted to confront her about it immediately?

_Just listen, and I'll explain. _He said. He took a deep breath and exhaled, before looking her right in the eyes, those purple eyes seeming to cut through hers, even through his glasses.

_I am psychic. _

Teruhashi stared at him. He stared back, expectantly.

"Um, what?" she said.

_I am psychic. I have many psychic powers that allow me to do many, many things. _He said. Teruhashi laughed, thinking he was joking, but it died when his expression didn't change.

_I've always known you've liked me, because one of my powers is the ability to read minds, and you seem to think about it annoyingly often. _He explained. Teruhashi now laughed nervously, wanting to get away from this situation. She stood up, turned towards the door, but as she did, she heard a whooshing noise, and he was standing in front of her. She cried out, and fell backwards onto the floor.

_I know you think I'm crazy, but I can easily prove it to you, if I haven't already with my incredible speed just then. _He said, holding out his hand. Then, suddenly, his bed lifted, and floated in midair. She couldn't believe her eyes. This...this wasn't real. It had to be a dream.

_It's not a dream. _He said, putting the bed back down. _I've been this way since I was born._

"B-b-but...but…" Teruhashi was speechless, feeling faint. How was this even possible.

She then realized a way to check to see if he could really read her mind.

_If you're telling the truth, why have you never told any of us? _She thought, staring directly into Saiki's eyes.

_I have many reasons, but it'll take a while to explain everything. _Saiki responded, and she gasped, covering her mouth. He...he really could read her mind. He raised her hand again, and she felt a strange tingle in her stomach as she was lifted in the air and set back down on her feet. She stared at Saiki, trembling slightly, thinking of something, anything, to say.

"T-tell me everything."

A while later, after Saiki went through his list of powers demonstrating each of them to her, but she stopped him when he got to x-ray vision.

"Wait, wait, you're saying you can see through stuff?" she asked. He nodded.

_I can see through clothes, skin, and organs, all the way to bones, depending on different circumstances. _He explained.

So, you can...have you seen me…? She stuttered.

_Yes, I have seen you naked many times. _He answered. Her face lit up in a blush as she covered her chest and her crotch. He sighed. _Anyway, do you understand now? _He asked. She slowly nodded. A lot made sense now. The time at the hotel, the plane that almost crashed, the time they got shipwrecked, and on and on. It all made sense.

"So...why haven't you told us?" she said.

"_Because...if it gets out, the news will hear, and I will get attention, which is something I want to avoid at all costs. _He said. Teruhashi's eyes widened as he summoned a tool that looked like a bent banana with a face. _I will erase your memory of knowing I'm psychic, but keep the feeling that you can't go out with me. _He raised the banana, and as his arm came down, it was stopped by Teruhashi grabbing it.

"Wait!" she cried. Saiki lowered the banana. "I...I…" she struggled to get the words out. "I still love you!" she said. Saiki's eyes widened. "I don't find your powers scary. I think they make you amazing and unique, and it just gives me another reason to love you!" she exclaimed, her face red. Saiki stared at her in shock. She continued. "And if my popularity bothers you, if you don't want the attention, I can change it, if it means I get to be with you."

_There is no way you can make yourself not popular. _Saiki responded. Teruhashi just smirked.

"Oh, trust me. I can do it. I can do anything." she said. Saiki just sighed.

_Why do you even like me so much? _He asked. _I've read your mind, but I can never really understand why you like me. _Teruhashi smiled.

"Because, even if it seems like you don't care, based on what I've seen and heard, and what you've told me. I can tell you actually do care. I mean, you went through thousands of time loops to save some people from a car accident!" she exclaimed. "You care, and you're just so capable of fixing everything. You're brave, and strong, and smart. I just...enjoy being around being around you. You make life...interesting." she said. "That's why I like you. That's why I want to be with with you." After she had finished, she stared at his emotionless face, but instead found softened eyes, and a hint of a smile. He sighed.

_Fine, I'll give you a chance. _He said, and she smiled. She left his house after that, even though she still had many more questions. But it was late, and she needed to get home. As she walked, she smiled once again.

Time to get to work.

This time, Saiki was the one who couldn't believe his eyes.

Teruhashi walked down the hallway as usual, looking the same as usual, but nobody was crowding around her, like they always do. Everybody she passed just said a nice "hello" or "good morning", instead of the overwhelming greeting she usually got. Her usual glow was gone, but to Saiki, that actually made her look much better. She reached Saiki with a huge grin on her face.

_Okay, how?_ He asked, but she just raised a finger to her lips.

"It's a secret." she said, before remembering he could just read her mind, which Saiki had done, but he still didn't understand, so he just decided not to worry about it. "So...how about it?" she asked shyly, blushing as she looked at the floor. Saiki actually thought about it. She really did like him, and care for him, and doing something like this showed that, and she wasn't afraid of his powers. Without her popularity, and attention, she was more attractive. Maybe there was something to this girl after all. He sighed again.

_Good grief. Fine, but you have to promise to keep my secret, alright? _He sad, and she nodded. He gave her a small smile.

Why not?


End file.
